Is it legal to post fan art?

Quick answer: While it is generally illegal to sell fan art, it may be OK to publish your fan art as long as you don't make money from it. Fan art, fan fiction, or any other creative work inspired by popular culture is a complex and controversial issue.
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Can I post my fan art?

It is legal to sell fan art if you get permission from the original copyright owner. Fanart does not meet the requirements of the fair use act, and you may get into legal trouble for making and selling fan art without permission from theowner of the intellectual property in question.
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Is fan art a copyright violation?

The key point to remember is this: Fan fiction and fan art are, usually, an infringement of the right of the copyright holder to prepare and license derivative works based on the original. This is almost without exception.
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Can you get sued for making fan art?

Technically speaking, there's nothing illegal in the US about making and selling fan art because copyright isn't enforced criminally. Rather, copyright owners enforce their rights by suing infringers in federal civil court.
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Can you use fanart without permission?

The answer is, if you are creating fan art whether for profit or not, any copyrighted character or use of trademark in a description or title without prior written consent from the copyright owner, then selling fan art is illegal but making fan art is not illegal.
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Should Fan Art Be Illegal?



Is it okay to sell fanart?

One-of-a-kind, original drawings and paintings are legal. Since everyone does it, copyright holders must not care. If I only sell fan art at conventions, and not online or in stores, it is okay. If I'm not making a profit from my fan art, it is legal to draw someone else's characters.
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Is it legal to sell fan art on Etsy?

As a general rule, fan art is illegal to sell on Etsy or anywhere else if the seller doesn't have the proper legal permission from the copyright and trademark.
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Is fan content fair use?

Works of fanfiction are more likely to constitute fair use if they are "transformative" with respect to the original work, if they are non-commercial, if they appropriate relatively little of the original work, and/or if they do not tend to detract from the potential market for or value of the original work.
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Can you post fan art on social media?

Quick answer: While it is generally illegal to sell fan art, it may be OK to publish your fan art as long as you don't make money from it. Fan art, fan fiction, or any other creative work inspired by popular culture is a complex and controversial issue.
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How much do you have to change artwork to avoid copyright?

How much do you have to change artwork to avoid copyright? There is actually no percentage by which you must change an image to avoid copyright infringement. While some say that you have to change 10-30% of a copyrighted work to avoid infringement, that has been proven to be a myth.
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Is it legal to draw copyrighted characters?

Any commercial use of a copyrighted cartoon character without permission of the copyright holder is a violation of law. This includes the sale of any drawings or art works, either by themselves or in some other form such as on a T-shirt, team logo, advertisement, billboard, or promotional design.
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What is considered fanart?

Fan art or fanart is artwork created by fans of a work of fiction and derived from a series character or other aspect of that work.
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Can fanfiction be illegal?

Fanfiction is defined by the use of characters and expression from an original creative work and the creation of derivative works, all of which is illegal under current copyright law (McCardle, 2003).
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Can I use Mickey Mouse in my art?

It owns the copyright to the original character. It owns the copyrights to subsequent versions of the character, which tend to be better known to modern audiences. And it also owns trademark rights. The copyright for the original version of Mickey Mouse is scheduled to expire on January 1, 2024.
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Can I make Harry Potter merch and sell it?

Can You Legally Make and Sell Harry Potter Related Products? No, absolutely not. Everything Harry Potter is well protected with multiple trademarks that are owned by Warner Brothers Entertainment. In fact, it's difficult to find something related to Harry Potter that isn't trademarked.
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Can I draw and sell Disney characters?

No you cannot paint, offer for sale, sell, or otherwise tinker with a Disney character, at least it is illegal without an express license from the Walt Disney company.
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Can I sell fandom merchandise?

You can use a copyrighted work if you get permission from the owner, but It's unlikely – especially as a small merch shop – that you'll get permission to use a copyrighted logo.
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Are anime characters copyrighted?

Many popular anime character designs are trademarked, as are their names and the names of the anime. The only way to be sure is to contact the owners of the anime in question and ask them, being sure to clarify it is for commercial use.
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Can I draw Pokemon and sell them?

To cut through the legalese: Nintendo owns trademark to Pokemon, including all character names. They give you permission to create and display and distribute fan art as long as you don't make money from it and you don't try to claim copyright to anything you create.
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Is fanfiction 2021 illegal?

Fanfiction makes use of settings and characters curled out from an original work of fiction work. It creates an unoriginal work. All these it does is classified as illegal according to copyright law.
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Is printing fanfiction illegal?

Presently, publishing fanfiction online is considered legal in the United States because it is “noncommercial distribution.” In other words, when you post fanfiction on AO3 or another ad-supported, free-to-use site, nobody is making any money from the actual intellectual property itself.
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Can you post fanfiction on Wattpad?

Once you've finished writing a story part, you can publish it to your profile to share it with everyone! Publishing a story part makes it public, allowing you to gain great feedback from readers about what you've just posted.
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Can I use Mario in my logo?

Yes, you need to obtain a license to use trademarked materials in your business. You should consult with an experienced Trademarks Attorney...
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What is fair use for art?

Fair Use for Artists and Scholars

Fair use is built into U.S. copyright law and identifies certain conditions where copyrighted materials may be used, even without permission or payment to a copyright holder.
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